A Merchant's Tale
by FlikFreak
Summary: Short OneShot. A boy misses his ride back to his hotel while visiting modern-day Agrabah and decides to go shopping in the bazaar while waiting for the next bus. Instead, he meets a merchant whom begins to tell him a tale of a boy and a mysterious lamp...


So, after watching Disney's Aladdin, I kinda wondered about that little prologue sequence. Sure, the guy was talking to us technically, but if he were talking to a person…then how would it go? This is my take on what would happen.

This may end up being a novelization if enough people think this is interesting enough. For now, though, it's a one-shot.

Summary: After missing the bus back to his hotel, Edwin is stuck in Agrabah's Bazaar, where he decides to kill time by shopping for a souvenir. Instead, he meets a mysterious merchant whom tells him a mysterious tale about a young boy and a mysterious lamp…

**The Merchant's Tale**

**By FlikFreak**

A visit to the market in the large desert towns was usually full of chaos and more; Edwin knew that. Merchants were usually crying out to the passers-by to sell their goods, usually some sort of food or souvenir. He had come here mainly because he had missed his ride back and wouldn't catch another one until after nightfall (a dreadful inconvenience, but he didn't mind since it gave him more time to look around), and decided to find something to bring back home. No souvenir, however, seemed to catch his attention. Finally, as he neared the end of the row, he spied another merchant stall far near the end that many people seemed to be avoiding. When he asked someone about it, they shook their head and replied, "He's an oddball. Sells all sorts of wacky stuff and tells these crazy stories. Kids love him for that, but he's really just trying to con us out of our money."

To any other person, this would pose an enormous "crazy person alert" and usher them far away from the stand. However, as curious as Edwin was, he wasn't about to pass this one up, and carefully made his way to the stall, where he heard an odd chanting. As he finally approached, a stout merchant in bright blue robes and a large turban peered at him from the small stall counter. "Welcome, young man! Welcome!"

_They weren't far off the mark with him,_ Edwin thought. _He hasn't _acted_ crazy yet, but he already _looks _like it._

"So, what are we interested in today, hmm? Perhaps a fine set of jewelry for your girlfriend? Maybe a souvenir to take back home to England?"

This definitely caught Edwin's attention. The man seemed crazy alright, but he was smart to the point of being telepathic. How did he know Edwin was from England? Slowly, he shook his head. "I'm just browsing until something catches my eye," he replied. "So yeah, a souvenir I guess."

"And I take it nothing else seemed interesting to you?" the merchant asked, pressing his fingers together and tilting his head.

Edwin nodded affirmatively. In response, the merchant lifted an eyebrow, a mysterious glint appearing in his eye. "I can see you are only interested in the most _exceptionally _rare items," he stated. "Most of what you find in those other merchants' stalls is very common, but I have some very rare things in my own little shop here. Perhaps you would consider something like this?" In a swift movement, he reached under his sleeve and, just like magic, pulled an odd little item from what was almost thin air.

Now, for a moment, Edwin was surprised. The craftsmanship of such beautiful gold definitely caught his eye, but when he looked over it again... "Sir," he finally said, shaking his head, "It looks lovely, but it's just an oil lamp."

"This is no _ordinary_ lamp," the man said. "Do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance. It is not the outside, but the _inside_ that counts. Besides, there is a story...no, a _legend_...behind this mere _lamp_."

"A story?" Edwin asked.

The man gave an odd grin and nodded. "Would you like to hear it?" He said.

It didn't take long for Edwin to come to a conclusion. After all, he had missed his only transportation back to the hotel, and if he walked it would cost him the rest of the night, not to mention the quality of his shoes. He needed some form of entertainment until the next bus came. "Sure," He said. "I'd love to."

Nodding mysteriously, the merchant placed the lamp aside and then pulled himself up to sit on the counter, leaning forward with the enchanting aura that only a storyteller like him could give off. "It starts on a dark night, where a _dark man _awaits...with an even _darker_ purpose..."

And so the tale began…


End file.
